Federal Agency Decisions
Federal workers' compensation appeals from the Department of Labor's Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), federal-sector labor-relations cases from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), Longshore Act and Black Lung Benefits Act appeals from the Department of Labor's Benefits Review Board (BRB), precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), and whistleblower and other labor appeals from the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board (ARB), each with a plain-English summary, the law it cites, and whether it counts as precedent. More agencies are coming.
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Chester K. Cline v. Mingo Logan Coal Company
Cline v. Mingo Logan Coal (BRB 21-0468, 21-0578, and 22-0003): benefits affirmed, expense award corrected
Chester K. Cline received black lung benefits after a judge found that he had complicated pneumoconiosis from 26 years of underground coal mine work. Mingo Logan Coal appealed the benefits ruling and two attorney fee orders. The Board rejected the employer's challenges to the judge's appointment…
Chester K. Cline v. Mingo Logan Coal Company
Cline v. Mingo Logan Coal (BRB 21-0468, 21-0578, and 22-0003): benefits affirmed, expense award corrected
Chester K. Cline received black lung benefits after a judge found that he had complicated pneumoconiosis from 26 years of underground coal mine work. Mingo Logan Coal appealed the benefits ruling and two attorney fee orders. The Board rejected the employer's challenges to the judge's appointment…
Marvin C. Jeffers v. New Horizons Coal, Incorporated and The Hartford
Jeffers v. New Horizons Coal (BRB 21-0425 BLA and 21-0425 BLA-A): disability evidence remanded
Marvin C. Jeffers filed a subsequent black lung claim after 25 years of underground coal mine work. The judge denied benefits because she found that he did not have a totally disabling respiratory impairment. On his appeal and the employer's cross appeal, the Board held that the judge had not…
Joseph Sanders v. J M Mining Contractors, Incorporated and Travelers Indemnity
Sanders v. J M Mining Contractors (BRB 21-0322 BLA): black lung benefits award affirmed
Joseph Sanders filed a subsequent black lung claim after 19 to 20 years of underground coal mine work. The judge found that he had a totally disabling respiratory impairment, applied the fifteen-year presumption, and awarded benefits when the employer failed to rebut it. The Board upheld the…
L.M. and Department of Defense, Defense Finance Accounting Service, Indianapolis, IN
Board upholds refusal to reopen arm impairment award (ECAB 22-0902)
A Defense Department accounting technician sought a larger schedule award for her right arm after an accepted elbow injury. OWCP had awarded eight percent permanent impairment. She argued on reconsideration that OWCP had failed to complete an impartial medical examination planned to address…
R.L. and U.S. Postal Service, McDonough Post Office, McDonough, GA
Board upholds denial of carrier's two-week wage-loss claim (ECAB 22-0824)
A rural carrier associate had an accepted back injury and sought compensation for two weeks away from work in 2022. A surgeon said she needed time off after surgery but did not explain whether the disability was caused by the accepted work injury. Other reports came from a nurse practitioner and a…
E.T. and Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, Supship Gulf Coast, Pascagoula, MS
Board dismisses Navy employee's appeal for lack of a reviewable decision (ECAB 22-0619)
A Navy employee attempted to appeal a purported March 8, 2022 OWCP decision. The record sent to the Board did not contain such a decision. Its last decision was a 2009 acceptance of his hearing loss claim, which was neither adverse nor within the appeal window. The Board dismissed the appeal for…
J.B. and Department of the Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Command-Projects, Bethesda, MD
Board upholds denial of architect's neck injury claim (ECAB 22-0279)
A Navy architect reported neck pain and a headache after lifting a heavy recycling bin at work. OWCP accepted that the incident occurred but denied the claim for insufficient medical evidence of an injury caused by it. The Board found that the physician's statement that a link “appears” to exist…
K.W. and Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Yuma, AZ
Board upholds denial of hydrologic technician's knee claim (ECAB 22-0276)
A Geological Survey hydrologic technician reported twisting his knee on a boat while collecting water samples. OWCP accepted the incident and later recognized a diagnosed meniscus tear, but denied the claim for lack of medical proof tying the tear to the incident. The Board found that the surgeon's…
S.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Bethpage Processing & Distribution Center, Bethpage, NY
Board reverses termination of mail handler's injury benefits (ECAB 21-1338)
A mail handler received benefits after a pallet struck her forehead at work, causing accepted head and neck conditions. OWCP ended her wage-loss and medical benefits after an impartial examiner said she had no remaining work-related disability or residuals. The Board found that OWCP relied on…
D.D. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Pittsburgh, PA
Board upholds denial of postal technician's ankle claim (ECAB 22-0847)
A postal electronic technician said he tripped on a mat behind a machine and injured his right foot and ankle. OWCP accepted the incident but denied his claim for lack of medical causation evidence. A podiatrist diagnosed right ankle instability and gave work restrictions, but did not say whether…
B.T. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution Estill, Estill, SC
Board orders complete finger measurements for prison worker's award (ECAB 22-0615)
A federal prison maintenance supervisor sought an increased schedule award after a work accident crushed and fractured his right little finger. His treating physician's adopted rating and OWCP's second opinion lacked the three independent range of motion measurements needed under the Board's rating…
R.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Duluth, GA
Board orders combined review of postal worker's stress claims (ECAB 22-0603)
A postal employee claimed work-related stress and described workplace treatment and disputes over benefits. OWCP denied her new claim after finding that she had not established the alleged work incidents. The Board found that an earlier emotional condition claim involved related events and had not…
J.S. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Air Marshal Service, Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Board upholds denial of federal air marshal's late injury claim (ECAB 22-0347)
A retired federal air marshal filed a claim in 2021 for right hand symptoms he attributed to flight duties in 2008. The Board found that he filed more than 13 years after the alleged injury, beyond FECA's three-year limit. Coworker statements described symptoms, but the record did not show that his…
W.B. and Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, Moline, IL
Board sends TSA worker's fall claim back for causation review (ECAB 22-0163)
A TSA employee reported rib and shoulder injuries after falling at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied her claim on the ground that no medical condition had been diagnosed. The Board found that an orthopedic surgeon had diagnosed rib fractures, a shoulder dislocation, and a shoulder girdle…
J.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Medical Center, Vancouver, WA
Board orders combined review of VA nursing assistant's arm claims (ECAB 21-0748)
A VA nursing assistant sought compensation for a right shoulder injury she reported while repositioning a patient. OWCP denied that claim partly by relying on evidence from separate right arm and shoulder claim files. The Board found that OWCP had not combined those files with the current record…
J.S. and Department of the Navy, Military Sea Lift Command, Norfolk, VA
Board recognizes Navy worker's ankle wound but leaves disability for OWCP (ECAB 21-0376)
A Navy supply worker said a chair's metal frame punctured his left leg aboard a vessel. OWCP accepted the incident but denied that it caused a diagnosed condition. The Board found that medical records established an avulsion wound and ankle ulcer tied to the visible injury. It directed OWCP to pay…
B.P. and U.S. Postal Service, Cleveland Post Office, Cleveland, MS
Board orders OWCP to review submitted medical evidence (ECAB 22-0851)
A rural carrier associate sought to reopen a claim arising from a 2012 collision involving her postal vehicle. OWCP denied reconsideration as untimely and found no clear evidence of error. The Board found that OWCP's decision did not discuss medical reports and therapy records already in the file…
C.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, Muskogee, OK
Board upholds refusal to reopen VA hearing loss claim (ECAB 22-0703)
A VA claims examiner attributed hearing loss and tinnitus in his left ear to two printers powering up near him. OWCP denied the claim after considering medical opinions about causation. On reconsideration, he repeated his account and challenged how definite those medical opinions were. The Board…
G.L. and Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection, Sonoita, AZ
Board orders impartial evaluation of border agent's knee impairment (ECAB 22-0700)
A border patrol agent sought a schedule award after a work-related right knee ligament injury and surgery. His physician rated the leg at 10 percent permanent impairment based on mild knee laxity, while OWCP's medical adviser found no ratable impairment because he did not accept the laxity finding…
G.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Minneapolis Post Office, Minneapolis, MN
Board upholds denial of postal employee's back injury claim (ECAB 22-0662)
A postal support employee reported back pain after lifting a tray at work. OWCP accepted the incident but denied his claim because the medical evidence did not establish that it caused a diagnosed condition. His physician diagnosed lumbar radiculopathy and described his work activity, but did not…
D.C. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Jackson, WY
Board upholds denial of postal clerk's later wage-loss claim (ECAB 22-0648)
A postal lead clerk had accepted right hand and wrist conditions and returned to a modified job after surgery. He later sought wage-loss compensation because that work caused pain. His surgeon said the modified duties were too intense and took him off work, but the Board found that her reports did…
K.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Columbus, OH
Board upholds denial of renewed right shoulder treatment (ECAB 22-0579)
A postal dock clerk sought further treatment for her right shoulder after an accepted 2013 workplace injury and authorized surgery in 2014. She reported renewed pain and difficulty with daily activities beginning in March 2021. An orthopedic surgeon recorded symptoms, examination findings, and…
K.S. and U.S. Postal Service, Boggs Road Post Office, Duluth, GA
Board grants postal worker's request to withdraw appeal (ECAB 22-0335)
A postal worker appealed an OWCP merit decision dated December 23, 2021. She later asked to withdraw the Board appeal so she could seek reconsideration before OWCP. The Board granted her request and dismissed the appeal. It did not decide the merits of her benefits claim.
J.R. and U.S. Postal Service, Brookhollow Post Office, Dallas, TX
Board orders impartial medical examination for postal carrier's knee claim (ECAB 22-0272)
A postal carrier claimed that years of standing, walking, lifting, and climbing caused or worsened conditions in both knees. His treating physician linked the osteoarthritis and meniscus tears to those duties, while OWCP's second opinion physician attributed them to age and preexisting…
A.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, McConnelsville, OH
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's renewed wage-loss claim (ECAB 21-1237)
A postal rural carrier returned to full-duty work after an accepted 2017 vehicle collision. She later sought wage-loss compensation beginning January 30, 2021, when neck and arm symptoms worsened. Her physician described symptoms and kept her off work, but the Board found that his reports did not…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1748, National Council of Field Labor Locals and United States Department of Labor, Kansas City, Missouri
AFGE Local 1748 and Department of Labor (FLRA 0-NG-3606): Authority rejects geographic claims assignment
AFGE Local 1748 proposed assigning all Department of Labor employee workers' compensation claims to claims staff in the Kansas City commuting area, except claims from that office, and maintaining two claims units plus support staff there. The Union conceded that directing where the claims work…
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2338 and United States Department of Veterans Affairs, John J. Pershing VA Medical Center
AFGE Local 2338 and Pershing VA Medical Center (FLRA 0-AR-5798): Authority upholds missed-scheduling dismissal
AFGE Local 2338 challenged promotion policies at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, but the parties did not schedule an arbitration hearing within the agreement's six-month deadline. The arbitrator had asked for availability and proposed a remote-hearing planning meeting, but the Union did not…
T.N. and U.S. Postal Service, Fredericksburg Main Post Office, Fredericksburg, VA
Board reverses termination of postal carrier's wage-loss benefits (ECAB 22-0721)
A postal rural carrier received wage-loss benefits for an accepted right shoulder injury. OWCP ended her compensation based on her treating surgeon's opinion that she could return to her regular work. The Board found that the surgeon had also said prolonged lifting would aggravate her shoulder pain…
A.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Loma Linda VA Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA
Board upholds recovery of VA worker's $599.14 overpayment (ECAB 22-0569)
A VA food service worker received FECA wage-loss benefits while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. OWCP found a $599.14 overpayment for July through November 2020 because it had not applied the required offset. It found the worker without fault, but…
D.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Mountain View Post Office, Mountain View, CA
Board orders review of medical records in postal worker's reconsideration request (ECAB 22-0558)
A postal worker sought reconsideration of an earlier termination of her injury benefits. OWCP found her request late and said it did not show clear evidence of error. The Board observed that she had submitted medical records from 1996 through 2007, but OWCP had not analyzed them in its new…
V.B. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, New Orleans, LA
Board upholds denial of postal carrier's recurrence claim (ECAB 22-0431)
A postal carrier with an accepted left knee injury returned to a sedentary modified job. She later claimed that worsening knee symptoms made her unable to work beginning July 14, 2021. Her physician described swelling and said she could not stand or walk for long periods. The Board found that his…
G.B. and Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, New York, NY
Board upholds denial of IRS employee's request for merit review (ECAB 22-0249)
An IRS employee sought a larger schedule award for her accepted carpal tunnel conditions. After OWCP denied an increase, she requested reconsideration and submitted reports correcting a surgery date and describing current symptoms and examination findings. The Board found that the new material did…
S.C. and Department of the Air Force, 78 Logistics Readiness Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, GA
Board denies larger shoulder award but reverses termination of injury benefits (ECAB 21-0724)
An Air Force fuel distribution worker received compensation for an accepted left shoulder injury and later sought a larger permanent impairment award. The Board found no medical evidence establishing more than the nine percent impairment already compensated. OWCP had also ended his wage-loss and…
E.M. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Compton, CA
Board orders explanation of postal worker's shoulder award calculation (ECAB 20-1045)
A postal carrier had previously received schedule awards for right upper extremity impairment. After the Board found an additional 17 percent impairment of his right shoulder, OWCP issued a new award stating that the total impairment was 25 percent. The Board found that OWCP had not explained how…
Peggy L. Shook, on behalf of and widow of Billie H. Shook, v. Jewell Smokeless Coal Corporation and SunCoke Energy, Incorporated
Shook v. Jewell Smokeless Coal (BRB 21-0535 and 21-0536): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Peggy L. Shook pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge credited Billie Shook with 39.25 years of qualifying coal mine work, found total respiratory disability, applied the fifteen-year presumption, and awarded benefits after the employer failed to rebut it…
Peggy L. Shook, on behalf of and widow of Billie H. Shook, v. Jewell Smokeless Coal Corporation and SunCoke Energy, Incorporated
Shook v. Jewell Smokeless Coal (BRB 21-0535 and 21-0536): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Peggy L. Shook pursued her late husband's black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge credited Billie Shook with 39.25 years of qualifying coal mine work, found total respiratory disability, applied the fifteen-year presumption, and awarded benefits after the employer failed to rebut it…
Anna L. Conley, on behalf of and widow of Wilbur L. Conley, v. Brush Creek Coal Company, Incorporated and American Business & Mercantile
Conley v. Brush Creek Coal (BRB 21-0446 and 21-0520): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Anna L. Conley pursued her late husband's subsequent black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge credited Wilbur Conley with more than 18 years of underground mine work, found a totally disabling respiratory impairment, applied the fifteen-year presumption, and awarded benefits on both…
Anna L. Conley, on behalf of and widow of Wilbur L. Conley, v. Brush Creek Coal Company, Incorporated and American Business & Mercantile
Conley v. Brush Creek Coal (BRB 21-0446 and 21-0520): miner and survivor awards affirmed
Anna L. Conley pursued her late husband's subsequent black lung claim and her own survivor claim. The judge credited Wilbur Conley with more than 18 years of underground mine work, found a totally disabling respiratory impairment, applied the fifteen-year presumption, and awarded benefits on both…
Wayne E. Miller v. Helvetia Coal Company and Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Company
Miller v. Helvetia Coal (BRB 21-0301 BLA): disability denial returned for medical review
Wayne E. Miller filed a subsequent black lung claim after 21 years of underground coal mine work. The judge denied it because she found he did not have a totally disabling respiratory impairment. The Board found that the judge overlooked portions of two doctors' testimony that could support…
Larry E. Osborne v. Sterling Smokeless Coal Company, Incorporated and Peabody Energy Corporation
Osborne v. Sterling Smokeless Coal (BRB 20-0347 BLA): benefits award and payment liability affirmed
Larry E. Osborne received black lung benefits after a judge found that his coal mine work caused pneumoconiosis and a totally disabling respiratory impairment. Sterling Smokeless Coal and Peabody Energy challenged their payment responsibility and the medical findings. The Board upheld Sterling…
R.B. and Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General, Temple, TX
Board upholds suspension of special agent's wage-loss benefits (ECAB 22-0578)
A Department of Agriculture special agent received wage-loss compensation for an accepted back injury. OWCP asked him to complete a form reporting work and earnings, warned that failure to return it could suspend benefits, and mailed the request to his address of record. The record showed no…
L.F. and U.S. Postal Service, Phoenix Processing & Distribution Center, Phoenix, AZ
Board upholds denial of postal clerk's request for merit review (ECAB 22-0576)
A postal processing clerk sought wage-loss compensation for a past period of claimed disability. OWCP denied that claim, and she later sought reconsideration. The Board found that her personal account could not resolve the medical question of disability, while the submitted decisions accepting…
Y.W. and U.S. Postal Service, Tampa Processing & Distribution Center, Tampa, FL
Board upholds eight percent left leg impairment award for postal worker (ECAB 22-0341)
A postal mail handler sought a larger schedule award after surgery for an accepted left knee meniscus tear. OWCP's medical adviser rated her permanent left leg impairment at eight percent. The Board found that later medical reports did not provide an impairment rating supporting a higher award. It…
J.S. and Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Dix, NJ
Board denies schedule award but orders hearing aids for FBI agent (ECAB 22-0274)
An FBI special agent developed bilateral hearing loss after years of firearms training and other occupational noise exposure. OWCP accepted the hearing loss, but found that the measured impairment was zero percent and denied a schedule award. The Board agreed that the hearing loss was not ratable…
A.L. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Anchorage, AK
Board upholds denial of wage loss after unrelated lumbar surgery (ECAB 22-0226)
A postal window clerk sought wage-loss compensation after a December 2019 lumbar surgery for disability claimed from December 1, 2019 through January 24, 2020. OWCP had accepted a 2010 lower-back injury, but an impartial medical examiner found that the later right-sided symptoms and surgery…
C.V. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, Santa Teresa, NM
Board remands COVID-19 claim after decision sent to wrong address (ECAB 22-0125)
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent claimed that he contracted COVID-19 in the line of duty and sought FECA benefits. OWCP denied the claim after finding that he had not submitted enough evidence to establish a diagnosis. The denial and an earlier development letter were returned as…
M.C. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Hampton VA Medical Center, Hampton, VA
Board upholds denial of right shoulder injury claim (ECAB 20-1266)
A VA maintenance mechanic felt sudden right shoulder pain while pulling the starter cord of a weed trimmer at work. Imaging showed a rotator cuff tear, but the Board found that the medical reports did not adequately explain how the work incident caused the diagnosed condition. One physician’s…
T.B. and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Los Angeles, CA
Board returns suspension of benefits for review of timely response (ECAB 22-0795)
A former immigration inspector received compensation for injuries from a 1997 workplace fall. OWCP suspended his benefits after he missed a second opinion examination. He had sent an explanation that the appointment conflicted with a treating physician visit and that he had received conflicting…
C.H. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, Muskogee, OK
Board dismisses duplicate appeal docket (ECAB 22-0704)
A Veterans Benefits Administration employee appealed an OWCP nonmerit decision. The Board clerk assigned the appeal two docket numbers by mistake. The Board dismissed the duplicate docket, 22-0704, and said the appeal under 22-0703 would go forward. It did not decide the underlying claim.
E.C. and U.S. Postal Service, General Mail Facility, Boston, MA
Board finds benefit overpayment but orders dates and amount recalculated (ECAB 22-0501)
A former postal employee received FECA wage-loss payments while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits. The Board found that an overpayment occurred because the two benefits overlapped without the required offset, and it agreed she was without fault. Records conflicted on when she began…
J.H. and U.S. Postal Service, Post Office, Des Moines, IA
Board orders postal worker's shoulder claim files combined (ECAB 22-0443)
A postal rural delivery specialist claimed a right shoulder injury after a fall at work in 2020. OWCP denied the claim without combining its record with his earlier accepted right rotator cuff injury file. The Board found the files needed to be combined because the claims concerned the same part of…
L.F. and Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Springfield, VA
Board upholds denial of DEA assistant's knee injury claim (ECAB 22-0355)
A Drug Enforcement Administration investigative assistant felt right knee pain while bending to file a document at work. Imaging showed meniscal tears, and she later underwent knee surgery. The Board found that her physician’s statements attributing the condition to work lacked an explanation of…
Lucas Shrewsbury dba Infinite Installation and Repair
Roof fall citations affirmed by default
OSHA cited Infinite Installation and Repair after employees allegedly worked on a 19-foot-high low-slope roof without fall protection and near unprotected skylights. The company contested the citations but repeatedly failed to provide ordered discovery, and the judge first imposed lesser sanctions…
National Labor Relations Board, Washington, D.C. and National Labor Relations Board Professional Association
NLRB and NLRB Professional Association (FLRA 0-AR-5550): Authority credits law-clerk service toward tenure
NLRB attorneys began agency service in law-clerk trainee appointments lasting up to 14 months before conversion to attorney positions with a two-year probationary period. An arbitrator found that the trainee service was time-limited but not temporary under the governing regulation and involved the…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises
Original temporary reinstatement order later amended
George Rice drove rock trucks for Nally & Hamilton Enterprises and repeatedly reported a broken air conditioner that made one truck dangerously hot. During the shift after an MSHA inspection, he also reported steering and brake problems in another truck and understood his foreman's direction to get…
Ramos v. Globant, S.A.
SOX withdrawal set for delayed effect
Camilo José Sánchez Ramos appealed dismissal of his SOX retaliation complaint, then asked permission to move the claim to federal district court without filing an opening brief. The Board explained that its permission was unnecessary for a qualifying district-court action, but Ramos had not yet…
D.M. and Department of Veterans Affairs, Bob Stump Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Prescott, AZ
Board confirms overpayment but orders waiver review (ECAB 22-0846)
A former VA nurse received FECA wage-loss compensation while also receiving Social Security retirement benefits attributable to federal service. The Board upheld OWCP’s finding that this overlap created a $7,954.01 overpayment without fault. OWCP denied waiver on the mistaken premise that the nurse…
K.G. and Department of Veterans Affairs, St. Louis, MO
Board upholds denial of VA employee's upper extremity claim (ECAB 22-0712)
A VA claims employee attributed hand and arm conditions, including carpal tunnel syndrome, to years of typing and mouse use. OWCP accepted the work factors but denied the claim for lack of medical causation evidence. The Board found that the treating physician’s statement that typing “most likely”…
P.L. and Department of the Air Force, Tinker Air Force Base, OK
Board upholds denial of aircraft mechanic's wage-loss claim (ECAB 22-0337)
An Air Force aircraft mechanic sought wage-loss compensation after an accepted right ankle injury and a later below-the-knee amputation. His medical reports described his surgeries, recovery, and difficulty using a prosthesis. The Board found that the reports did not adequately explain how the…
What these documents are
- The agencies: Federal workers' compensation appeals from the Department of Labor's Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), federal-sector labor-relations cases from the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), Longshore Act and Black Lung Benefits Act appeals from the Department of Labor's Benefits Review Board (BRB), precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), and whistleblower and other labor appeals from the Department of Labor's Administrative Review Board (ARB). Each decision page names its agency.
- Commission, Board and Authority decisions: Rulings by the agency's highest review level (the Commission at OSHRC and FMSHRC, the Authority at FLRA, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Administrative Review Board at Labor, and the Environmental Appeals Board at EPA). These are citable as precedent, though a decision may have been appealed to a U.S. Court of Appeals after issuance.
- ALJ decisions: Rulings by the agency's Administrative Law Judges after a hearing. When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order that binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent: under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j) at OSHRC, and after the 40-day window of 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) at FMSHRC.
- Why finality matters: Every page here says which kind of decision you are reading, so you know whether it is precedent you can cite or a final order that only shows how one judge ruled on one set of facts.
- Where they come from: Every page links the official public release from the deciding agency, and the full text on the page is that release. The plain-English summaries are written by Ezel.